Have you asked all four of these questions about your RCIA teaching process?

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3 thoughts on “Have you asked all four of these questions about your RCIA teaching process?”

  1. This post is so very timely. Our parish is in the initiation stages of a very prayer steeped parish renewal. The new mission statement is “to bring God’s love into the world through a life-changing friendship with Jesus.” I cannot help thinking that this is the real purpose of RCIA – to introduce and walk with people who are seeking a life-changing friendship with Jesus. If we are to lead people to Christ, we need to make certain that we are in a deep relationship with Christ or we will be ineffective. That is the “who”. As Pope Francis said, “Yes, but the best summary, the one that comes more from the inside and I feel most true is this: I am a sinner whom the Lord has looked upon.” When we lead from that position, others will see Christ and be drawn to him.
    God bless you and your team as you lead us!

  2. Having been a Catechist in RCIA for over a decade, I have learned that the most effective way to connect with seekers is to communicate the “who” of who you are and the “how” and the “why” of how you got to where you are. You cannot teach the need for Faith if you are not a faithful person; you cannot communicate the value of core Christian beliefs like love and forgiveness if your seekers do not see you as a loving and forgiving person. For them to understand this, it often requires personal stories.
    We all struggle, in the past and in the present, with striving to be the best version of an “alter Christus” that we can be. Using the subject matter being taught to communicate their impacts on our journey (e.g. the Sacraments) is a very powerful way to do this as it establishes an emotional connection that explains the “who” of who you are, the “why” of the changes you made in your life, and the “how” of how you got to where you are. I have found following up by asking the seekers to provide input, especially in terms of their experience, on the subject being discussed to be not just helpful but to be instructive also.
    Teaching the subject matter from a purely academic/intellectual point of view, without including the personal experience, is much less effective.

  3. It is indeed crucial to focus on the person of the catechist (intrapersonal relationship). If we remain detached we might as well become a plain professor and not a flesh & blood companion in the journey of faith.

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